Cad Demos

Written by Adam Blau

Learning how to use computer-aided design (CAD) software can be a difficult proposition. This is equally true for both the novice and the experienced engineer. Though the concepts and tools are similar across different platforms, the way each program operates and structures its toolkit can be remarkably different.

Any designer or engineer knows that in the design world, time is money. If it takes an inordinately long time to learn how to use a given piece of software, work will take longer to perform and business will suffer. For an engineer to embrace a new piece of software, it must be easy for him or her to learn to use.

Learning CAD through Demos

Fortunately, several developers of CAD software are producing demos that depict numerous features of the design software. Such tutorials will frequently take the engineer through the process of performing a given action, step by step and with audio narration. For the engineer learning to use new CAD software, these demos and tutorials can lessen the slope of the learning curve significantly.

It is important for the engineer to assess how much learning support there is when purchasing new CAD software. Are there online demos on the company's website? Are there active forums and support groups where users discuss design issues? Are there demos included with the actual software, perhaps on the CD-ROM itself? Successful demos can have a design firm up and running with new software in no time.